Parties clash over housing issues

Judith Collins and Phil Twyford faced off today both at select committee then during parliamentary question time. Photo: RNZ/Jane Patterson.

Housing affordability was the Achilles heel of the former government, and it continues to test the new administration.

There were fractious exchanges between Housing Minister Phil Twyford and his National Party counterpart Judith Collins at select committee and during parliamentary question time today.

The two flash points were a large waiting list for social housing and the government's flagship Kiwibuild.

Since the end of last year the waiting list for social housing has gone up from about 6000 to just over 8000. When questioned about that, Mr Twyford said that was the result of a rental crisis in the housing market, not new government policy.

Mr Twyford said tenancy reviews, under which people could lose their state house, had been temporarily suspended, but that's not what has driven the larger waiting list.

Ms Collins wanted to know what he was going to do about it.

"You've turned up here with the worst waiting list ever - it's come up under your watch, not down or even stabilised."

There were "no excuses", she said, if that continued to rise.

The government had put in the necessary funding to build thousands of new homes, replied Mr Twyford, saying he expected to be held to account by the opposition.

He also outlined his intention for Housing New Zealand to allow pets, and for people using drugs like meth to be helped with their addiction rather than thrown out.

Ms Collins asked Housing New Zealand chief executive Andrew McKenzie what the agency would do for neighbours who found themselves living next to anti-social tenants.

He told MPs the agency would work with police, or if needed, shift the neighbour.

2 Comments

Bit

Posted on 15-06-2018 11:05 | By Merlin

Bit rich National complaining after their nine years efforts on housing.

Flapping

Posted on 14-06-2018 08:09 | By maildrop

It’s a huge problem for people who think they can fix everything, provide everything and mend broken people. The realities are starting to hit home me thinks. Kiwi build will be a magnet to dodgy builders looking to cream a profit on taxpayer money. More Bella Vista failures for sure. Far better value would be a huge prison to house people. And when it’s full, build another one. The standard of the work needn’t be that great.